ThinkSustany®

It’s not easy being green when it comes to getting around Tampa Bay. Many of us are “car-dependent”, as the site WalkScore.com puts it. The score for my house – on a scale from 1 to 100, where 100 is the best – is 6. That’s not a typo – just 6. It’s hard to get to most things – a job, grocery store, school, restaurant, post office, pharmacy, you name it – in a reasonable time without a car.

But cars contribute significantly to greenhouse gases. While increasing the fuel efficiency of cars is a step in the right direction, there are other options to investigate.

Walk or Bike. Think about where you can walk or bike. Increasingly, I see people on bikes with baskets, pedaling home with a bag or two of groceries. Not an option for a big family, perhaps. But everyone from college students to retirees can save money, get some exercise and cut their carbon footprint by walking or biking some of the time.

Telecommute, if you can. Today’s technology allows many people to work from wherever they are. Leave the car in the garage and savor your freedom from rush hour.